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Bringing Down the Rate of Suicides for Veterans Through Improved Research

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Updated: 3:28 PM CDT Oct 13, 2017

Bringing Down the Rate of Suicides for Veterans Through Improved Research

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Updated: 3:28 PM CDT Oct 13, 2017

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WEBVTT SOLEDAD: THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OFVETERANS AFFAIRS IS CONFRONTINGTHE QUESTION DOES POSTRESS INCREASE THE VETERANSRISK OF DEATH BY SUICIDE.THERE IS CONSIDEE DEBATEAMONG SOON -- RESEARCHERS.SOME SAY THE RISK IS HIGHER.OTHERS CLAIM THE RISK IS HIGHERIN INDIVIDUALS BECAUSE OFPSYCHIATRIC CONDITIONS.I RECENTLY WITH RETIREDGENERAL PETER CHIARELLI WAS VICECHIEF OF STAFF FOR THE ARMY,ANDTHE POINT MAN ON THE ARMY'SEFFORTS TO BRING DOWN ITSSUICIDE RATE.HE IS NOW CEO OF ONE MIND, ANONPROFIT FOCUSED ON TRAUMATICBRAIN INJURY AND POSTTRAUMATICSTRESS.NICE TO HAVE YOU.THANKS FOR TALKING WITH US.PETER: GREAT TO BE HERE.SOLEDAD: WHY ARE THE NUMBERSAROUND SUICIDE SO HIGH FOR WOMENVETS?PETER: WELL, IF I KNEW THAT ILOT OF IT IS A MYSTERY FOR ME.I'M IN THERE ARE SOME ISSUES, THAT I AM SURE WOMEN HAVE WHENTHEY COME BACK HOME.THEY DON'T HAVE A SUPPORTSYSTEM, NECESSARILY -- THE SAMTHAT MEN DO.I DON'T THINK THE SAMECAMARADERIE EXISTS -- THAT ITDOES IN THE MALE RANKS.SO, THERE.SOLEDAD: I HAVE HAD WOMENVETERANS -- ONESTRUGGLED WITH MENTAL HEALTHISSUES -- TALK A LOT ABOUT THEFEELING OF BEING LEFT OUT, EVENWHEN PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUTSERVICE.THEY ALMOST TELL STOBEING PARTICULARLY EXCLUDED FR, YOU KNOW PEOPLE LOOKING BACK, AND TALKING ABOUT YOU WEREPART OF IT.PETER: I THINK THAT IS A REALISSUI MEAN, WOMEN IN COMBAT IS A NEWPHENOMENON FOR THE UNITEDSTATES, YET WE COULD NOT HAVEFOUGHT THE WARS WE FOUGHT INAFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ WITHOUTWOMEN.THEY MAKE UP 16% TO 17% OF OURCRITICAL, BUT THE SAME SUPPORTTHAT HAVE BUILT UP OVER TIME FORMEN ARE NOT THERE FOR WOMEN.SOLEDAD: YOU HAVE BEEN STUDYINGTHESE ISSUES FOR YEARS.YOURIN THE MILITARY WAS FOCUSED ONTHIS.WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?WHY DON'T WE HAVE REALSOLUTIONS?PETER: I THINK THE PROBLEM ISTHAT THE RESEARCH ECOSYSTEM ISNOT SET UP TO FIND SOLUTIONS TOREALLY, REALLY DIFFICULTPROBLEMS. WE NEED TO BE SHARINGDATA AND RESEARCHERS NEED TO BEWORKING TOGETHER IN LARGEMULTI-CENTER STUDIES., I DON'T BELIEVE ANYUNIVERSITY, NO MATTER HOW GOODIT IS, IS GOING TO BE ABLE TTHE NUMBER OF -- MASS THE NUMBEROF RESEARCH SCIENTISTS IT ISGOING TO TAKE TO GET AT SOME OFTHESE DIFFICULT PROBLEMS, AND WEHAVE GOT TO SHARE DATA.WE NEED TO SHARE DATA BETWEENTOO OFTEN, WE REPEAT STUDIES.WE EVEN REPEAT FAILED STUDIESBECAUSE NO ONE WANTS TO PUBLISHA STUDY OR A PAPER THAT SAYS IWAS WRONG.SOLEDAD: SO, THERE ARE PEOPLEWHO PREDICTED ONE DAY YOU WOULDBE ABLE TO DO A BLOOD TEST ANDFIGURE OUT IF SOMEONE IN FACTHAS POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS.FOR EXAMPLE, NOW IT IS BASICALLYA LIST OF 21 QUESTIONS.THERE IS NO, SORT OF, REALDEFINITIVE TEST TO SEE YOU HEIT, YOU DON'T.PETER: I THINK IT IS SOIMPORTANT THAT YOU POINT THATOUT.WE TEND TO THINK ABOUTDIAGNOSIS.YOU GO TO DOCTOR.HE TAKES PICTURE.HE TAKES BYOU KNOW, THERE IS SOME PHYSICALWAY THAT HE CAN BIOLOGICALLYTELL AND TO MAKE A DIAGNOSIS OFTH.SOLEDAD: LIKE, THE WAY YOUDIAGNOSE CANCER.PETER: THAT'THAT IS NOT THE CASE FOR POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS -- NOT THE CASEWHINJURY.WE USE COGNITIVE TESTS.WE U21 QUESTIONS TO MAKE ADETERMINATION ON WHETHER SOMEONEHAS POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS ORNOT.SOLEDAD: DO YOU THINK THERE WILLBE AT SOME POINT MEDICATION THAT-- SPECIFICALLY CREATED TO HELPPEOPLE THAT HAVE POST-TRAUMATICSTRESS?PETER: I THINK IF WE WORKTOGETHER, WE COULD FINDBI.I THINK WE COULD HAVE BLOODTESTS.I THINK ALL OF THOSE TPOSSIBLE.WE ARE VERY CLOSE IN TRAUMATICBRAIN INJURY TO, I THINK FINDING, A BLOOD BIOMARKER THAT APPEARSIN THE BLOOD AFTER A CONCUSSION.I THINK WE ARE VERY CLOSE TOHAVING IMAGING BIOMARKERS THATARE GOING TO ALLOW US TO TELLWHAT PORTION OF THE BRAIN ISAFFECTED WHEN SOMEONE SUFFERSI THINK ALL THESE THINGS AREPOSSIBLE, BUT, AGAIN, I HAVE TOSEE WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO GETSCIENTISTS TO WORK TOGETHER.SOLEDAD: ARE YOU FINDING THATPEOPLE ARE MORE OPEN TOCONVERSATIONS AROUNDCONCUSSION-LINKED-TO-PTS/COGNITIVE PROBLEMS LINKED TO SUICIDE?PETER: I THINK THEY ARE.I THINK THAT PEOPLE HAVE COME TOREALIZE THAT EVEN IN THECIVIGOES INTO AN EMERGENCY ROOM WITHTRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY, 30% OFTHEM ALSO HAVE POST TRAUMATICSTRESS.WE SEE WHAT WE CALL COMORBIDITY.THESE TWO PROBLEMS EXISTTOGETHER IN A LOT OF FOLKS.IT IS A MUCH HIGHER COMORBIDITYIN SOLDIERS.WE SEE UPWARDSSOLDIERS THAT SUFFER TRAUMATICBRAIN INJURY ALSO SUFFER PTS,-- POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS AND I, THINK WE ARE STARTING TO SEESOME LINKAGES BETWEEN THE TWO.SOLEDAD: FEELING HOPEFUL, OR NOTHOPEFUL?PETER: I AM HOPEFUL.I REALLY FEEL THAT THERESEARCHERS WE ARE WORKING WITHAT ONE MIND HAVE MADE TREMENDOUSINROADS.AND BEFORE TOO LONG, WE WILLHAVE THE FIRST BIOLOGICAL

Bringing Down the Rate of Suicides for Veterans Through Improved Research

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Updated: 3:28 PM CDT Oct 13, 2017

Gen. Peter Chiarelli, now retired, made it his mission as the Army’s Vice Chief of Staff to bring down suicide rates among veterans. According to the Dept. of Veterans’ Affairs, 20 veterans die from suicide every day. Now, as CEO of One Mind, a brain research non-profit, he is looking for connections between suicide, post-traumatic stress and brain trauma. He joins Soledad O’Brien for an important discussion on how post-traumatic stress is diagnosed and treated, the link between brain injury and PST and the need for improvement in how research is conducted and shared.